ICE have selected a forward with their 1st pick for the 3rd year in a row by taking Colby Cave from North Battleford, Sasskatchewan. ICE Director of Scouting Garnet Kazuik gives us a scouting report on the 1st selection. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AGR3bwHur0

Stats from Alan Caldwell's Small Thoughts At Large site, posted on the right.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced that the club has agreed to contract extensions with Milwaukee Admirals Head Coach Lane Lambert and Admirals Assistant Coach Brad Lauer. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Lauer is in his second season with the Admirals as Lambert’s top assistant. The Humboldt, SK native is in charge of running the team’s penalty killing unit, which for the first time in franchise history led the league, vanquishing 87% of opponent power-plays. Lauer also heads up the team’s defensive corps, which allowed just 195 goals on the year, the second fewest goals against in the AHL.

Lauer comes to the Admirals after five successful seasons as an assistant coach for the Kootenay Ice of the WHL. In those five campaigns with the Ice the team picked up over 100 points twice and they won 40 games during three campaigns. The New York Islanders second round pick in the 1985 draft, Lauer completed a 16-year playing career after the 2001-02 season. In that time he posted 111 points on 44 goals and 67 assists in 323 career NHL games with the Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Again this year The Drive and B-104 will be having reports on the WHL Bantam Draft. This year its in Edmonton on Thursday April 30th.After every ICE selection we will have a scouting report on the player from Director of Scouting Garnet Kazuik.ICE have their 1st (13th overall), 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th & 10th round picks. They could also have Kelowna's 4th. It's the Rockets choice if they want to give the ICE the 4th pick in 09 or 10 for the Kris Lazaruk trade. But the Rockets 4th round pick in 2010 could be going to swift Current in the Guggenberger trade.Plus in the Todd Mathews trade they get at 7th round pick from Lethbridge in 09 or 10 and lose a 5th round pick in 09 or 10.Looking ahead to the 2010 Bantam Draft, which many feel will be a very deep and strong draft, the ICE have a 1st, 2 2nd's, 2 3rd's, and 2 or 3 4th's.

Friday, April 17, 2009

USA scored 2 third period goals to beat Canada 2-1 in the semi-finals of the U-18 tournament.Canada will play Finland for the bronze medal on Sunday.USA will meet Russia for the gold.ICE defenseman Brayden McNabb is on Team Canada.

Canada will play the USA in the semi-finals of the U-18 Championships. The game will be played today. The other semi-final will have Finland against Russia.The Bronze and Gold Medal games are on Sunday.ICE defenseman Brayden McNabb is on Team Canada.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

The NHL Central Scouting Service has released their final rankings for this summer's entry draft. ICE defensman Brayden McNabb is ranked 51st in the North American Skaters category and Hayden Rintoul is 111th. In the North American Goalie rankings Nathan Lieuwen is 11th. The Draft will held in Montreal in June.

Canada is now 3-0 at the U-18 tournament. They trailed 3-0 in the 3rd period and got the game winner from Prince George Cougar Brett Connolly. This is an event for players born in 1991 but Connolly is actually a year younger.Today they'll play 3-0 Sweden in their final round robin game. In the other pool on the USA are 3-0. The game Canada game is on TSN at 3.ICE defenseman Brayden McNabb is on the team at is +3.

Monday, April 13, 2009

1. I think the off season has yet to start for ICE Head Coach Mark Holick who has been to Toronto to interview for a coaching position with Hockey Canada’s U-18 team and then to the USA to help with the WHL’s annual California camp. 2. I think I’m looking forward to interviewing Cory Clouston later this week and get his impressions of the NHL. 3. I think Spokane will win game 7 tomorrow in Vancouver. 4. I think I’m not sure about Vancouver goalie Tyson Sexsmith. He has a WHL record 26 career shutouts but there are reports he has let in some soft goals against Spokane. But everytime there is doubt about his play he turns around and plays unbeatable. 5. I think the Calgary/Brandon East Final has the making of being a classic. Both teams are well balanced. The difference may be the Hitmen’s dominance at home this season. Going into the post season I had the Wheat Kings as the darkhorse. 6. I think that in the NHL playoffs my final four are San Jose, Detroit, Washington and Philadelphia. I have picked the Sharks to win the Cup the last 4 years so they can be heartbreakers. Red Wings and Flyers have question marks with their goaltending. But all 16 teams in the playoffs have imperfections and that makes this years playoffs wide open.7. I think it’ll be an interesting off-season in the WHL with coaching hirings. Everett and Chilliwack have openings. Prince George ended the season with an interim Head Coach. There are rumblings in Lethbridge that there could be a change. In Saskatoon there are thoughts Lorne Molleken may concentrate on his GM duties and hire a coach. 8. I think the debate of the overtime/shootout results in the regular season will never go away. As I expressed a few months ago, I don’t like games being decided in a shootout. I am more concerned about the last 10 minutes of the 3rd period when it’s a tie game and both teams don’t want to lose the chance to get at least 1 point. Plus overtime used to be so boring as most teams played careful so the other team didn’t get the extra point. At least with a potential of a shootout the overtimes have been more entertaining to watch. A regulation win should be 4 points. Overtime win 3 points. Shootout win 2 points. Overtime or shootout loss 1 point. Imagine the 3rd period of a game that is tied. Do you want the win and 4 points or not.9. I think whoever wins the NHL Draft Lottery Tuesday will select John Tavares. I think the Islanders will hang on to the #1 selection.10. I think these are my non-hockey thoughts. a) I think I really enjoyed what I saw of this years’ Masters. Nice to see some low scores but still the potential of some double and triple bogeys.b) I think Angel Cabrera looks like the Dr. Octopus from Spiderman movie. c) I think I would be a fan of Tigers Woods if I didn’t have to listen to the announcers. It’s like the Twilight Zone episode where everyone had to have happy thoughts around a kid or he would do something really bad to you. He curses and throws his clubs, which doesn’t offend me, but if anyone else acted like that they would be criticized. d) I think watching the World Mens Curling Final was tough to watch as I still don’t understand why Canada’s Kevin Martin threw away his 1st rock.

The Americans are the latest team to have their season end. After winning the 1st 2 games at home they lost the next 4 to Kelowna.Americans had great contributions from their over-agers Reese, Procyshen and Fadden all season but sounds like they all had serious injuries in the post season. They had 9 17-year-old and 3 16-year olds on the roster this season so they will have many returning players. Although they also lose goalie Chet Pickard.

Vancouver has played in 1 game 7 and that was the double overtime lose in Medicine Hat in the League Final in 2007.Spokane in 4-2 in game 7 history.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Colin Patterson is the Head Coach of the Phantoms. The Peterborough Phantoms completed a historic treble with a 5-4 victory against the Milton Keynes Lightning on Sunday evening. The victory gave the Phantoms the Play-Off Finals trophy to add to the EPL Cup and EPL League trophies.

Colin Patterson is the Head Coach of the Phantoms. Peterborough Phantoms progressed to the English Premier League Play-Off Final on Saturday evening with a 4-2 victory over the Slough Jets.Phantoms now progress to the Final on Sunday where they will face the Milton Keynes Lightning who defeated the Guildford Flames in the second Semi-Final on Penalty shots.

Brandon is in the East Final. They'll meet Calgary and both teams are 8-0 in the playoffs. It'll be the 4th meeting in their playoff history.Calgary won 4-2 in the 2nd round of the 2007 playoffs.Brandon won 4-3 in the 2nd round in 2005 and 4-1 in the 1998 East Final.Tigers had one of the oldest teams in the WHL this season 7 19-year-olds and 10 18-year-olds. Of the 19-year-olds they have ... Holfeld, Grant, Dunstall, Ennis, Isherwood, Cameron and Kundratek. Ennis should be in the AHL next season. Even if the Import Kundratek doesn't return that leave 5 over-agers who can come back.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

FARGO, N.D. – Canada only needed one dominant period to set the tone Thursday at the world under-18 hockey championship.

Bryan Froese of the WHL's Everett Silvertips scored three goals, two of those coming in a seven-goal second period that propelled the defending-champion Canadians to a tournament-opening 11-2 rout of Germany.

Canada overcame a shaky first period against the Germans, taking the lead for good when Froese and Sudbury Wolves phenom John McFarland scored 48 seconds apart early in the second.

Ethan Werek of the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs made it 4-1 shortly after, and the Canadians added four more goals in a 7 1/2-minute stretch in the second half of the period against a shell-shocked German team.

Canadian head coach Mike Johnston applauded his team for turning it on after struggling through a first period that saw the teams tied 1-1.

“We were pushed really hard in the first period,” said Johnston, the head coach of the WHL's Portland Winter Hawks. “I was really pleased with how we responded to what was happening.

“This is when lines and defence pairs are starting to jell. Everything is new, and players are trying to get used to each other. I was happy with what I saw tonight.”

Froese, who had 57 points in 72 games with the Silvertips this season, opened the scoring on a power-play midway through the first period. With Tobias Reider in the penalty box for tripping, Froese beat German netminder Dustin Haloschan at 9:55.

The Germans took advantage of their own power play opportunity less than four minutes later, as Matthias Plachta beat Canadian goalie Michael Zador with Kyle Clifford of the OHL's Barrie Colts serving a high-sticking minor.

Any momentum the Germans had built through 20 minutes evaporated when Froese and MacFarland scored quick goals in the second. Werek added a power-play goal, and Landon Ferraro of the WHL's Red Deer Rebels – the son of former NHL forward Ray Ferraro – extended the lead to 5-1 at 11:44.

Werek scored his second of the night at 14:10, Cody Eakin of the WHL's Swift Current Broncos gave Canada a 7-1 advantage at 15:05 and Froese completed his hat trick at 19:07. The Canadians finished the period with seven goals on just nine shots.

“We talked a lot before the game about respecting our opponent, and I thought we did that,” said Johnston. “Give them credit for how they came out – they pressed hard on the forecheck.

“I think the key thing was that we scored early and started building momentum from there. They were sort of hesitant to play the same style they had in the first period, and if they had stayed with it longer, it would have been better for them and more difficult for us.”

Lukas Steinhauer took over goaltending duties in the third period after Haloschan surrendered eight goals on 20 shots. Steinhauer finished with seven saves, allowing goals to Eakin, Curtis Hamilton of the WHL's Saskatoon Blades and Brett Connolly of the WHL's Prince George Cougars.Marcel Ohmann added a third-period goal for Germany.

The Hitmen are 8-0 in the playoffs with sweeps over Edmonton and Lethbridge.Hitmen outscored the Hurricanes 19-4.Last summer as I tried to make some early predictions I thought it was going to be a Lethbridge vs Kelowna WHL Final with Brandon and Spokane also in the final 4.Hurricanes finished in 7th place in the conference and earned only 4 playoff wins. For some reason they never got themselves to the level that was expected. The roster had 2 solid 20-year-old defensemen in Ben Wright and Mitch Versteeg. Can't ask for a better combination of 19-year-old forwards in Zach Boychuk, Colton Sceviour, Carter Bancks and Dwight King. The 2 Import players were major contributors in goalie Juha Metsola and Luca Sbisa. 3 1st round NHL Draft picks in Boychuk, Sbisa, Kyle Beach and another potential 1st rounder in Carter Ashton. Head Coach Michael Dyck was the 2008 Eastern Conference Coach of the Year. Tons of playoff experience after going to the league finals last year. Yet they never got it going.For Calgary it's the 3rd consecutive year in the East Final. In 08 they lost to Lethbridge and 07 to Medicine Hat. In 06 & 05 they lost in game 7 of the 2nd round or they could be in the Conference final for 5 years in a row.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – It may not have been the start it wanted, but the finish was pretty good for Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team.

For the second time in as many games, the Canadians claimed victory in a pre-tournament game ahead of the 2009 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, using three second-period goals to erase an early 2-0 deficit en route to a 5-2 win over Slovakia on Tuesday night.

Canada found itself in a 2-0 hole with the game just 93 seconds old thanks to an early strike and a power play marker by the Slovakians, but those would be the only pucks to beat Bryce O’Hagan (Burlington, Ont./Sault Ste. Marie, OHL), who made 18 saves to record the win.

Outshooting the Slovakians 12-9 through 20 minutes, Canada finally hit the scoreboard just past the 13-minute mark of the middle frame as Dylan Olsen blasted a point shot past Slovakian netminder Juraj Holly with his team enjoying a two-man advantage.

It pulled even just 44 seconds later on the same power play, with John McFarland (Richmond Hill, Ont./Sudbury, OHL) getting the equalizer, and Zack Kassian (LaSalle, Ont./Peterborough, OHL) rounded out a big second period for the Canadians by giving them their first lead of the game late in the frame.

Byron Froese (Winkler, Man./Everett, WHL) and Landon Ferraro (Vancouver, B.C./Red Deer, WHL) rounded out the scoring with insurance goals in the third period as Canada finished its pre-tournament schedule with a 2-0 record.

Canada, which outshot Slovakia 40-20, opens defence of its 2008 world championship on Thursday, when it takes on Germany in Fargo, N.D.

Monday, April 6, 2009

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Dylan Olsen (Calgary, Alta./Camrose, AJHL) was the overtime hero, scoring 1:58 into the extra period as Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team opened pre-tournament play ahead of the 2009 IIHF World Under-18 Championship with a wild 6-5 win over Finland on Sunday.

Canada struck first just shy of the four-minute mark of the first period as John McFarland (Richmond Hill, Ont./Sudbury, OHL) snapped a puck through the five-hole of Finnish goaltender Joni Ortio for a 1-0 lead.

But the lead would last just four minutes, as the Finns pulled even and sent the game to the first intermission even 1-1.

The offensive floodgates opened in the second period, as the two teams combined for four goals before the period was 10 minutes old. After Finland took a 2-1 lead just 55 seconds into the frame, Curtis Hamilton (Kelowna, B.C./Saskatoon, WHL) pulled Canada even, and struck again five minutes later after the Finns had again taken the lead.

Canada regained its one-goal lead late in the period when Brett Connolly (Prince George, B.C./Prince George, WHL) counted to give the Canadians a 4-3 lead after 40 minutes.

But once again the Finns would claw back, tying the game early in the third period, and, after Simon Déspres (Laval, Que./Saint John, QMJHL) had restored Canada’s lead at the 12:32 mark, drawing even again on a power play marker with 4:27 to go, forcing overtime.

The Canadians took advantage of an early penalty against the Finns in the extra period and Olsen blasted a point shot past Erno Suomalainen, who had replaced Ortio following Connolly’s second-period goal.

Michael Zador (Toronto, Ont./Oshawa, OHL) went the distance in the Canadian goal, making 23 saves.

Canada finished 3-for-10 on the power play, and killed eight of the ten Finnish man advantages.

After an off day on Monday, Canada returns to the ice at Ridder Arena Tuesday night when it faces Slovakia at 7 p.m. CT in its second and final pre-tournament game. It opens defence of its world title on Thursday, April 9 against Germany in Fargo, N.D.

1. I think the Brandon/Medicine Hat, as expected, is a high scoring series. After 2 games the Wheat Kings have outscored the Tigers 14-9. Brandon is 6-0 in this years' playoffs.2. I think the Calgary/Lethbridge series still has a chance to be a long series. The next 3 games are schedule to be played in the Windy City and after coming off a 7-game series the Hurricanes' are more worn out.3. I think the Vancouver/Spokane series would be closer if the Chiefs didn't have so many key injuries. You have to think the Chiefs are capable of scoring more than 1 goal a game against any team.4. I think the Tri City/Kelowna series could easily be 2-0 for the Rockets. I though the Americans would have win 2-1 games to be successful in this series but have outscored the Rockets 4-3 and 3-2. Not very high scoring games but totals that you would think favour Kelowna.5. I think with all 4 series' 2-0, and the fact only once in WHL history has a team won a series when trailing 3-0, games 3 of all 4 series will see some desperate hockey by the trailing team. Imagine if they are all 4 game sweeps and there are no WHL games for 9 days.6. I think I should remind all ICE fans that again this year we are doing reports on the WHL Bantam Draft. After every pick we have a detailed report on the player selected. April 30th is Draft Day.7. I think it's time for an ICE coaching alumni update.Ryan McGill - AHL Iowa 4 games left and 5 points out of a playoff spot.Cory Clouston - in his final week an interm Head Coach of the NHL Ottawa Senators. Rumblings are he has a great chance to be the bench boss next year. Brad Lauer - AHL Milwaukee won the West Division and will be a contender in the playoffs. Missing up to 7 players to the parent NHL Nashville team.Colin Patterson - Phantoms have won the English Premier League and the English Premier Cup. The team is hoping to make it a triple when they compete in the end of season playoff tournament during the Easter weekend.8. I think I'll have updates on ICE Alumni during the ECHL & AHL Playoffs.9. I think if you are planning on being in NHL Playoff drafts it best to pick the 4 teams who you think will make it to the Conference Finals and select players from them exclusively. You may finish last but you may win big. 10. I think these are my non hockey thoughts.a) I think spring has sprung. BOING. b) I think I okay with the fact there are only 2-3 new episodes of Corner Gas. It's been an average year.c) I think you should avoid playing Mario Cart Wii, because you get addicted.d) I think it's been 3 years of trying to find Take Out Weight Curling 2 for the PC and still can't find it.

Former ICE defenseman John Negrin was the Broncos playoff MVP and is on his way to play with the Flames farm club.Quad City has 5 games left and are 5 points out of a playoff spot. Head Coach Ryan McGill and the Flames have earned 9 of a possible 10 points in their last 5 games to give them a chance at the post season.Former ICE captain Adam Cracknell and former ICE teammates Brett Sutter and Brad Cole are on the team. The team also have 9 other WHL players on the roster.The radio station with have interview clips after his plane lands.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Cranbrook, BC -- Jeff Chynoweth, General Manager of the Kootenay ICE Hockey Club, today announced the Club has hired Geoff Davidson as Director of Sales effective immediately. Davidson replaces Rick Allen who has left the Club to pursue other business interests.

“Geoff comes to us fresh off an internship with the Phoenix Coyotes where he gained valuable experience in working with a professional sports team. He will be a welcome addition to our organization, who in conjunction with the rest of our staff will provide many new sales and marketing ideas for the 2009 – 2010 season”, continued Chynoweth.

Geoff Davidson is a native of Invermere, BC, who achieved a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Calgary.

The Club also announced that Tiffany Harris will take on the role of Director of Marketing. Harris has been with the ICE organization for the past three years as an Account Executive.